Orthopaedic Surgery

Rossdales’ specialist surgeons have extensive experience in performing arthroscopy, tenoscopy, fracture repair, and correction of limb deformities in foals, and for many years have been at the forefront of orthopaedic surgical innovation. At Rossdales Equine Hospital most surgery involving equine joints and other synovial cavities is now performed using minimally invasive ‘keyhole’ techniques, with horses under general anaesthesia.

Arthroscopy and tenoscopy are widely used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and these techniques are the treatments of choice for management of a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries.

Fracture Repair

In the past decade or so, major advances have been made in fracture repair through improvements in anaesthesia, surgical technology and expertise, improving success rates for the repair of some long bone fractures.

Our specialist surgeons have access to the most advanced technology and facilities to diagnose and treat many types of equine fractures, combining their extensive surgical experience with the use of pre-surgical radiography, MRI, CT, arthroscopic visualisation and intra-surgical real-time fluoroscopy. This has improved technical preparation and implant placement significantly, while the development of internal fixation techniques (using plates and screws) means that many more fractures in the horse can now be repaired successfully and ensure the best outcome possible for your horse.

We offer a comprehensive service, with more complicated fractures being stabilised using advanced fixation implants and techniques under general anaesthesia. These patients benefit from our specialist-led anaesthesia team, to ensure they are recovered as safely as possible in our purpose-built recovery suites.

Standing Surgery

Some fractures are amenable to standing fixation and this is now the preferred technique in appropriate cases.

Dorsal spinous process (DSP) resection for overriding or impinging DSPs (‘Kissing spine’ surgery) is now frequently carried out in the standing horse.

The advantages of this include increased intra-operative visualisation, decreased intra-operative haemorrhage and avoidance of the inherent risks of general anaesthesia in the equine patient.

These advances in surgical techniques and expertise have helped to improve the prognosis for these patients in helping them to return to athletic performance.